1. Field of the Invention
This invention pertains generally to gaming systems. More particularly, the present invention relates to a method and apparatus for awarding prizes in a manner that encourages long term interest and continuing play by players using saved award states in the form of components to a prize.
2. The Prior Art
Gaming devices of various types have been in use for many years. The most common type is the conventional slot. A player operates a slot machine by providing coin or paper monies that are received as game credits towards playing a game on the slot machine. Some machines allow a user to provide game credits in the form of a voucher, a printed coupon or a data card (e.g. magnetic strip or smart card). Once the sufficient amount of game credits has been provided to constitute a wager, the player then initiates the game, normally by pulling a handle or activating a button. If a winning event occurs, where a winning event is defined by the game being played, the slot machine issues a winning amount according to the player's wager and to a predetermined pay scheme. The game results are generally based on randomly generated events. The winning amount issued to the user is provided by a corresponding amount of game credits, which the player may redeem (cash-out) or use for further play on the slot machine. Similar game play and award schemes are provided according to other gaming devices such as video poker machines and keno machines.
Bonus awards and bonus game play were introduced as improvements to conventional gaming devices to entice increased game play. A common bonus enticement is to award a player a chance to multiply the player's award winnings from a primary game on a secondary, or bonus, stage of the game. Most bonus awards are simply an increased multiple of the primary winnings and are issued as game credits on the game currently being played, being identical in use to game credits either bought or otherwise won by the player. In some gaming machines the bonus award is not additional game play but rather a multiplier on a cash prize the player has already won on the primary game. Bonus prizes have also been implemented as a single “jackpot” type where the prize may be a single large monetary prize or significant non-monetary prize such as a car.
An improvement over simple bonus additions to gaming devices is the bonus implementation known as “investment bonus”. An example of this type of game is the 1937 Mills “Bonus Bell” game which provides a primary slot reel game, and a secondary investment bonus game (or “come-on” feature). During regular play the word “BONUS” could be spelled out by hitting the correct letters in sequence on the first reel for an eighteen (18) coin award. This type of game is generally referred to as an “investment bonus” game because the player invests in continued play of the same machine to achieve the requirements for the bonus award (e.g., in the Mills' game completing the word “BONUS”). If the player were to terminate play of the investment game prior to completing the requirements for the bonus award (e.g., the player only completes “BON”), the player normally forfeits the player's prior investments (“BON”) and must later fulfill the requirements anew. Furthermore, a subsequent player may “take over” a previous player's investment by commencing play of the investment bonus game after the previous player vacates the machine.
A recent development, made possible with the use of gaming machines that are electronically coupled, are progressive awards. Progressive awards are normally cash awards or prizes, and typically comprising a large jackpot amount. Progressive awards are funded by coupling more than one gaming machine, where a percentage of the money a player spends at each gaming machine goes into a central award or “pot”. The players of each coupled machine compete for the progressive award. The overall result, due to the multiplicity of players feeding into the progressive pot, is that a significantly larger award results. Each player playing a machine coupled to the progressive can win the progressive at the individual machine being played. Some gaming machines further allow the player to elect to participate in a progressive or not, the eligibility criteria typically being that a player is required (“elects”) to bet using a certain minimum amount or makes bets using a “max bet” selection. Upon the occurrence of a specific game result, the progressive pot or award is issued to the player. Since the progressive award is normally large, it acts as an additional incentive for players to play gaming machines that form a part of an on-going progressive.
Current gaming devices and methods, while suitable for normal award credit payout and one-time non-monetary prize payout, have some particular disadvantages. First, current gaming schemes do not support awarding prizes having any type of complex interrelationship which require a player to collect multiple “winning events” towards the redemption of an award, other than simple credit accumulation. This is especially true where the winning events may be derived from two or more gaming machines. Current systems do not allow a player to collect the player's game points on one machine for usage on a secondary machine for further collection of points toward prize redemption. Nor do current systems provide the collection of points on one machine for redemption of awards on another machine or a central (or separate) prize station. Current systems also fail to provide for collection of points on one machine for later aggregation with the same machine during subsequent play.
Thus, there is a need for a method and apparatus to enable players using gaming devices to be awarded prizes having a complex interrelationship with the requirements for winning a next level of prize made up of smaller prizes, including multiple game device and multiple session accumulation, where the awards or prizes are not the traditional comps based on player tracking nor are they simply an accumulation of fungible credits or tickets.